Wednesday 22 October 2008

BMW F650 GS Dakar Modification (part 2)

PROTECTION (continued)
To protect the fuel filter which is built into the pressure regulator I added an inline fuel filter to the fuel system which is zip tied to the frame with some rubber backing. I had to take a connector of it’s mount at the computer for it though.
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The fork seals are renowned to leak. Probably because they’re so exposed. Apparently BMW designed the cooling system to very tight tolerances which can cause overheating if you block airflow to the radiator. The normal harmonica type gaiters are quite wide, so I thought I’d give the neoprene ones a go. I got these ones from SRC and I think they look much better as well.
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Protecting the radiator from rocks becomes tricky if it’s prone to overheating. So to solve that, I used some wire from a chicken wire fence. I mounted that to the radiator shrouds with some bolts, mud guard washers and zip ties.
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While I was down there I also filled the gap between the front of the radiator and the back of the frame with some adhesive foam to prevent rocks and pebbles wearing holes into it. Yep, it has happened to others.

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One of the guys on the Chain Gang forum (www.f650.com) made some protection for the rear shock out of some pool lining. He was nice enough to make some more for others so I fitted that as well. It’s done an awesome job so far. It really keeps the crap of the bike.
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A German law dictates that a certain amount of the wheel has to be covered. To do this a designer at BMW mounted one of these over the rear wheel.
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A bit of rough going can turn this thing into a lethal weapon for the bike so instead of spending heaps of money on an aluminium aftermarket item I just cut the stems off.
This leaves the chain guard and speedo sensor guard separate.
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As shown above I also zip tied all the spokes to each other where they cross. It’s apparently an old motorcross trick to stock spokes from braking and if they do flying all over the place possibly puncturing a tyre.

MAINTENANCE MODS

Doing maintenance on the road is a real pain is the arse. Basically, you’ve got 2 options. Your first option is a private place like a servo, hotel yard, or mechanics workshop and risk overstaying your welcome. This depends on how much you have to remove to do the job and how messy your job is. The second option is a public place like a quite courtyard or a field somewhere.
Personally I prefer the first option, but I’ve done it in both. Basically, the faster you can do it the better. Also, the less parts you have to bring the better.

First off, any new bike should really be looked over and lubed up. Factories are notorious for under lubing the bike. On the F650 this is mostly the case for the steering head bearings and the swingarm linkage bearings. On both of mine they were really dry so I put heaps of grease on there. Now I’ll have a better idea whether the bearings and/or design is bad or just not lubed.

For the oil changes on the Dakar you have to remove the bashplate and crashbar to get to the super soft sump plug. To avoid that I got a Fumoto drain valve (FG8: size 24mm - 1.5). It’s basically a ball valve and comes with a soft gasket washer. The washer has caused some leaks for other people. But I haven’t had a single leak yet. The bike has taken a beating on rocky trails and tight single trail, and it hasn’t caused any issues.
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Instead of bringing heaps of oil filters I got a reusable Scotts Performance stainless oil filter which is meant to filter more as well. It’s cleanable with some turpentine.
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BMW use a paper air filter which when it gets wet can end up in the engine. It’s not cleanable so I’d have to bring spares. Not being to keen on that, I got a foam filter from Unifilter which can get cleaned and reused easily.
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Cleaning the chain also meant cleaning the goop that’s collected in most bikes front sprocket guard. Also, because it’s made of plastic, it would do nothing to protect the engine casing in the case the chain snaps. The Touratech chain guard opens all that up and also provides a bit of protection as it’s made from aluminium. I didn’t even have to remove it to change the sprocket. I changed the sprocket from a 16 tooth to a 15 tooth to get a bit lower gearing. I quite like it now.
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On the last trip the battery died because it had run low on liquid and or got damaged due to the corrugation and potholes in the desert. This meant I had to kickstart it in the 45 degree heat. The Dakar is dead without a battery as the fuel pump needs to start before the button gets pressed to start the thing. The battery is also positioned above the engine which causes wet cell batteries to dry out very quickly often between service intervals. The only real option would be to upgrade to a sealed AGM battery. I went with a Deka ETX15L which fits straight in.

A well know weak point on this bikes design is the water pump. It’s basically an impeller which is has 2 seals on it to separate the coolant from the oil. But because the impeller’s shaft uses the seals as bearings effectively it is prone to leaking. Rotax solved the problem by putting a weep hole on the water pump casing so the owner can keen an eye on it. When it starts leaking coolant through this you take the water pump cover off, remove the clutch cover (!!!) and replace the seals. Some people have had this happen at 25000km intervals, but really there is no specific mileage for it to happen.
The problem is that when BMW assembled the bike and looked at the oil return hose between the motor and the tank it must have had some drama's with the route. So they put this solid tube on which blocks the clutch cover.

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So to remove the cover you need to remove this tube which means you have to dump the oil. So to solve this I had a 0.5" fitting made by cutting the tube off the banjo at the end, silver solder a rotating fitting and a 90 degree elbow on it with a barb fitting at the end.
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Than it was simply putting the hose I got (stainless braided for the bling factor) and routing it differently to the oil tank.
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Need to make sure it doesn’t touch anything hot or fragile though.
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COMFORT AND GENERAL MODS

The stock ergonomics are a little cramped and the bars a bit low. To raise that I got some Touratech handlebar risers. This modification did require me to get a longer brake hose as well.
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The raising of the handlebar meant that the hand guard would hit the screen before it would go to full lock. So I cut some of the screen out to suit.
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Mirrors and indicators are usually the first things to brake in a fall. FAR in Italy (www.FAR.it) do hinged mirrors for KTM’s as well as having a whole range of mirrors for other bikes. If got some mirrors of them that come with 4 mounting adapters. 10mm LHS and RHS thread and the same for 8mm. This meant that I could easily swap between bikes. They have a stem with a ratchety hinge halfway along the stem as well as a hinge where the mirror attaches to the stem. So far we’ve come off heaps of times without them braking. Let’s hope we keep it that way because they’ve been removed it from their catalogue.
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The indicators on the Dakar are not flexible for some reason. It’s only a matter of time before they brake. I’ve thought about getting flat mounting car type indicators, but so far I’ve gone for some cheap flexible bike indicators. There are many different ones, but the local bike shop has these and so far they have stood up to the abuse.
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The stock footpegs are really narrow which makes standing on them for a long time almost impossible. There are heaps of options for aftermarket pegs, but I went with the Fastway pegs. They’re nice and chunky and have replaceable parts including the tips.
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The Dakar is a bit higher than the normal GS. But BMW couldn’t be bothered building 2 side stands. So the one on the Dakar is really a bit too short. I solved this by bolting an ice hockey puck to it.
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SUSPENSION

The suspension on the bike isn't very good. The shock apparently doesn't last very long and the forks don't provide a lot of feedback. Because of the additional weight that we'll add to the bike I was always going to upgrade, but when the guys on F650.com organised a group buy discount for some Race Tech gold valve emulators, I couldn't resist. Because you have to change springs as well I could order springs for the loaded weight of the bike. Two birds with one stone I reckon.
These are the valves and the only other thing you need to do is drill out the dampening rods.
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This shows the difference between the 2 shocks. The quality difference is enormous. Installation was simple and was a good oppurtunity to lube the underlubed suspension bearings. A must for all new owners.
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